Botercoek "Butter Cake"

Tonight I made the traditional Dutch botercoek for my family. I got this recipe from our family cookbook, and it's very simple to make. Everyone said it tasted delicious, even if we've eaten this a hundred times.

Ingredients:

It's a bit crumbly because it looked so darn tasty that I just couldn't wait until it cooled.

• 1 cup of softened butter
• 2/3 cups of brown sugar
• 2/3 cups of white sugar

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 2 cups of flour
• 2 tsp of almond extract 

Directions:

• Take the first 3 ingredients and mix them together in a large bowl. Mix on high until the batter is creamy.
• Combine the following ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and mix very well.
• Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 300 degrees F. Bake in a greased pie plate or double the recipe if your using a 9"x3" greased pan.

Changes:

• The recipe originally called for the cake to go in for only 30 minutes, but I found that to be too gooey and a bit undercooked.

Ropa Vieja

I made this Cuban dish on Sunday, and my whole family enjoyed it. My mom had made this once before and found it very time consuming, so I made sure I had plenty of time to make it. The recipe was found in a cooking magazine.The recipe says to cook to beef for 1 1/2 hours but my beef was done in 1 hour.

Ingrediants

• 3 lbs flank steak, trimmed
• 8 cups beef broth
  
• 2 cups coarsely chopped carrots
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minched
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp whole black pepper corns
• 2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cut into strips
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 2 chillies, minced
• 4 tbsp olive oil, seperated
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Combine meat, broth, carrots, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper and half of the garlic in a large saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.
2. Remove meat from liquid and set aside. Strain solids from liquid and set aside. Return liquid to pot and simmer until reduced to 3 cups-about 30 minutes. Discard solids and chill liquid in refrigerator.
3. In a large saucepan heat 2 tbsp olive oil over moderate heat and cook green bell peppers, chillies and onion, stirring, until softened.
4. Meanwhile, pull the meat into shreds. Add the shredded meat to the onion mixture along with 2 cups of the simmered liquid, tomatoes with juice, tomato paste, cumin, parsley, salt, pepper and the rest of the garlic. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
5. While meat is simmering, in a skillet saute red and yellow bell peppers and carrots in 2 tbsp of olive oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir peppers into stew with enough additional liquid to thin to desired consistency, and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve over rice.




















 

category 9: multicultural!

Cook a recipe that is 'multicultural.'  This is an odd term.  Basically you are encouraged to try cooking a meal or dish from another country.

Easy&Fast Gluten Free Spaghetti

I normally just make my own pasta sauce when I make spaghetti because organic pasta sauce can be pretty pricey. Here's my recipe of things I just threw together the other day.

Easy&Fast Gluten Free Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1 medium size package of rice noodles
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
salt & pepper



Directions:

Fill a pot of water and eave it to boil on the stove. Slice up 2 cups of mushrooms and saute them in a deep pan or pot. Put the noodles in the boiling water. Add (to the mushrooms) the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir the sauce and let it cook until it simmers. When the noodles are finished cooking, drain them. Enjoy!

Buttered Pasta

This pasta was easy and quick to make.  I found this recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 12 oz. linguine or spaghetti pasta
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, if desired

Preparation:

Cook noodles as directed on package in boiling salted water until just barely tender (al dente). Drain in a colander, shake the colander well, then return the pasta to the hot pot along with the butter. Gently stir and toss the pasta with the butter until coated. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 4 servings

I didn't change anything in the recipe, though I sprinkled salt and pepper.

Sichuan noodles with peppery sauce

http://www.meishij.net/zuofa/dandanmian_13.html

It is a Chinese noodle . I  just know the Chinese recipes. But all the processes are shown obviously.

The Ingredients are:
white noodles  400g

Ground  pork) 
green onion
sprout     as you like
salt         as you like
spinach  80g
a little bit vinegar and soy sauce
garlic
red pepper
chicken soup

The direction is
cook the pork first
and then cook the noodles  in chicken soup.
mix all the other ingredients together for the sauce.
and then put the sauce on top of the noodles.
You can boil the spinach in the water as well if you like.
 

Not-So-Beefy Bean Macaroni (gluten free)

Most of the time, I usually cook out of a whim. So, this recipe came straight out of my imagination. Don't get me wrong though, it was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

- 1 bag gluten free macaroni noodles

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 green bell pepper

- 1 medium carrot

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1 small onion

- 1 medium celery stalk 

- 3 tbsp tomato paste

- 2 cups water

- 2 cups vegetarian ground beef crumble (optional)

- 1 (16 ounce) can navy beans 

- salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop the green bell pepper, carrot, garlic, onion and celery stalk and add to a medium sauce pan. Add the olive oil and cook on medium heat for 4-5 minutes (or until onions are clear and carrots are semi-soft).

2. Add the tomato paste and heat for 1 more minute. Add 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. 

3. Heat the vegetarian ground crumble in the microwave (as directed to do so on the bag) and add to vegetable mixture. Drain navy beans and add to the pot as well. Add remaining cup of water and simmer for 8-10 minutes (or until the majority of the liquid is gone).

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the macaroni noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until noodles are soft. Drain and rinse, return noodles back to the pot. 

5. Transfer sauce to the noodles and mix well until all the pasta is coated. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Serve immediately and enjoy!

If you don't have tomato paste, a 1/4 of salsa works just as well and gives it an extra kick! Also, feel free to experiment with different spices. Try adding cayenne pepper if you like your food spicy!

Creamy Tomato Shrimp Linguine

I made this pasta on saturday night. We always make it with linguine noodles but the recipe calls for rice. My mom got this recipe from a newspaper years ago, and we've been enjoying it ever since.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. package of large frozen uncooked shrimp, shelled and de-veined
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large tomato
• 1 tbsp. butter
  
• a splash of white wine(can also use water)
• A large pinch of dried basil, or three or four leaves of chopped fresh basil
• 1 jar Tomato Alfredo Sauce
• Salt and Pepper
• Linguine noodles

Directions

      Start boiling water for noodles.

      Heat butter in a large frying pan. Chop Garlic and tomato and simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Make sure garlic doesn't burn or it will become bitter. 

      Add a splash of wine and stir until any brown sediment is loosened from the pan. Add the dried basil if using it, and cook a few minutes more. Add the Alfredo sauce.

      Start cooking noodles according to package. 

      When sauce is bubbling, add the shrimp. Stir to coat shrimp with sauce, simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to turn shrimp over, until all the shrimp are pink and cooked through. 

      When shrimp is done, turn off heat and season with salt and pepper. If using fresh basil, add it now. Mix with linguine noodles and serve. 

Farfalle with Sausage

I found this recipe on this website. It was really good and really easy to make.

Ingredients

- 5 1/2 cups farfalle (bowtie) pasta
- 5 sausages
- 4 liters baby spinach
- 1 1/2 onions
- 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- salt and ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Coarsely chop the onions. Clean the baby spinach.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté 2-3 minutes with stirring.
3. Remove the skin from the sausage, then add the meat to the pan. Break the meat up using a wooden spoon, and cook 4-5 minutes until it looses its pink colour.
4. Cook the pasta
5. Pour the warm broth into the frying pan. Reduce 5 minutes until the broth is almost completely absorbed but the sauce is still moist.
6. Pour the drained pasta into the frying pan, then add the baby spinach. Add salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Toss well and serve.

Changes
I didn't really change too much, but I did use a spicy Italian sausage instead of regular sausages and I also added a bit of half and half cream for a bit more in the sauce. I served it with garlic bread and salad, overall the dish was really good, but the next time I'll make it I may add more to the recipe as the servings weren't as big as was hoped to be.

Pasta With Vegetables

I made a regular pasta with some veggies in it this week for dinner, it was super tasty, and healthy! I found the recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups broccoli, lightly steamed or blanched
• 4 cups uncooked rotini pasta

Instructions:

1. Mix together the oil, vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; add rotini and bring to a boil again. Cook until rotini is soft; drain well. Return the rotini to the pot.
3. While rotini is cooking heat oil in a frying pan and saute red bell pepper, green bell pepper, garlic and carrots. Cook until vegetables are softened. Place the broccoli in the frying pan and cook another 2 minutes.
4. Pour the cooked vegetables into the pot with the pasta. Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta and vegetables. Toss to distribute vegetables and vinaigrette evenly.

Changes:

I used a different type of noodle but other than that I didn't make any changes to this recipe, it tasted super yummy the way it was, although I could have added some more vegetables just to change it up a bit.

Three-Cheese Manicotti

I found the recipe here. This recipe tasted pretty good! The only changes I made was using cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella (because there was none left at my house).

Ingredients

8 

dried manicotti shells

Nonstick cooking spray

1 

cup chopped fresh mushrooms

3/4 

cup purchased shredded carrots

3 

or 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 

cup light ricotta cheese or low-fat cream-style cottage cheese

3/4 

cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

2 

eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 

cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 

teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed

1 

(14.5 ounce) can Muir Glen® no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

1 

cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped

Directions

• Step1Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside.
• Step2Meanwhile, for filling, coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Add mushrooms, carrots, and garlic to hot skillet. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or just until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in ricotta cheese, ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese, the eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Spoon filling into cooked manicotti shells.
• Step3For sauce, place undrained tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Stir in roasted red peppers. Spread about 1/3 cup of the sauce into the bottoms of four 12- to 16-ounce ungreased individual baking dishes or a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange stuffed manicotti shells in individual baking dishes or large baking dish, overlapping shells slightly if necessary. Pour remaining sauce over manicotti.
• Step4Bake, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes for individual baking dishes or 35 to 40 minutes for large baking dish or until heated through. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
  

Corn Casserole

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 (15 ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1/4 butter, melted
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chillies, drained
• 1 (8.5 ounce) package dry corn muffin mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine eggs, cream style corn, sour cream and melted butter. Stir in whole kernel corn, cheese, onion and chillies. Stir in the corn muffin mix until just moistened.

    

3. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 75 minutes; or until an inserted knife       comes out clean and the top is golden. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This recipe was quite good, however it was unexpectedly sweet. Also, I left out the "diced green chillies" because after tasting them, I didn't like them. Other than that, my family enjoyed this recipe!

Cheese Pasta Casserole

I made this casserole for dinner last night.  My family and I really enjoyed it.  I'm not a fan of Parmesan cheese so next time, I'll try it without.  Other than that, it was great.  

Post 8: Pasta!

Boil it, bake it, substitute it for something healthier!  This week you're cooking with pasta.

Overnight Chicken Casserole

I found the recipe here, This was fairly easy to make and you can easily save this casserole for the next day. 


2 cups uncooked macaroni
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 cup milk
1 medium onion
1/2 cup diced cheese
Add salt and pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients and mix them well. Put in the refrigerate overnight and bake for any 1 hour and 350F.   Remove from oven and sprinkle top with herbed stuffing mix and cake for an additional 15 minutes

* I added turkey instead of chicken.

Carman's Caper

I put some catchup on the top when i finished.  I think next time i might put more cheese when I bake it.
It taste good and looks okay...

Rice-Celery Casserole

I found this recipe in an old school cook book and decided to make it on the weekend, I added a couple things to change it up.

Ingredients:

• 1 Spanish onion
• 1 pound hamburger
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 4 stalks of celery
• 1 can of tomato soup
• 1 can of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cup of corn
• 2 cloves of garlic

*items I added to give more flavour

Instructions:

1. Brown hamburger in a skillet, drain fat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender. Add water and chopped celery. Bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes.
2. Pour into large casserole dish; add rice, corn, cheese, tomato soup, and mushroom soup.
3. Bake at 350 F for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every half hour.

Changes:

The whole family liked this casserole. I added the sharp cheddar cheese, corn, and garlic as shown above.

Sausage Lasagna

I made this lasagna ahead on Saturday and put it in the oven on Sunday. I found this recipe on the food network website. It would have tasted better with more sauce; next time I'll make a double recipe of that.

Ingredients

• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus 2 whole sprigs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (16-ounce) container 1 percent low-fat cottage cheese
• 1 (15-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 8 ounces lean sweet Italian-style turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 9 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles, 5 1/2-ounces, (recommended: Barilla)
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, 6 ounces

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small pot bring the tomatoes, wine, whole basil sprigs, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, puree the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor until smooth. add the ricotta, spinach, 1/4 cup chopped basil, scallions, nutmeg, and salt and pepper and pulse until just combined; set aside.

3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray set over medium heat. Cook the sausage and onion, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces, until the meat is browned and the onion tender, 10 minutes.

4. Assemble the lasagna: Mist a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, half the sausage and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with sauce, noodles, remaining ricotta and sausage and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the noodles are tender and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan, 1 hour.

5. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and continue to bake until melted, 10 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil. Serve.

Cabbage Casserole

My family like cabbage rolls, so my mom suggested to make cabbage casserole for this week's aassignment. It actually turned out REALLY good!

Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:

2lbs ground beef
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 chopped onions
1 zucchini chopped
2 tsp thyme
4 cloves garlic minced
3 cups canned tomatoes pureed
2 cups beef broth
1/2 head of cabbage
salt&pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the rice in a rice cooker. Preheat oven to 350. Chop onions, zucchini, garlic, cabbage. Fry the chopped ingredients with the ground beef and pureed tomatoes, thyme, beef broth, salt, and pepper. Mix in the rice. Put a layer of cabbage on the bottom of the casserole dish and then pour in the fried ingredients and rice, then put another layer of cabbage on top of everything and cook for about an hour (or until the cabbage is cooked).

Ham & Cheese Noodle Casserole

Tonight I made a ham and cheese and noodle casserole. I got the recipe from my mom, who came up with the recipe herself. My family really enjoys this casserole, and it's fairly easy to make.

Ingredients
- 8 oz. package of wide noodles
- 1 1/2 cup cooked ham
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup grated cheese, divided

Directions
Preheat oven 375 degrees. Boil noodles in a pot. Once noodles have been cooked, in a separate bowl mix together  mushroom soup, milk, and butter for the sauce. In a greased casserole dish, layer the ingredients as follows, noodles, half cup of cheese, sauce, ham, remainder of cheese.

Changes
I added more cheese to the top of the casserole, as well as mixing some leftover chicken with the ham. I served it with a caesar salad.

Hash Brown Casserole

Tonight I made my family a hash brown casserole that was served with a salad & bread with butter. (We were supposed to have meatballs too but I accidentally burned an entire bag..) The casserole was really easy to prepare & everyone said that it tasted great! I got this recipe from my mom's family cook book.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. bag of hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup of melted butter
• 1/2 of chopped onion
• 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
• Cornflakes 

Directions:

• Mix all of the ingredients except for the Cornflakes together in a large bowl.
• Spread the mixture into a 9"x13" pan & sprinkle the Cornflakes on top.
• Drizzle another 1/2 cup of butter on top of the Cornflakes.
• Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours.

Changes:

• I didn't add any onions.
• Because my sister is a vegetarian, I added 2 cans of cream of celery soup instead of the chicken, & it tasted just as good! 

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Lemon, and Cheese

I found the recipe here. It was okay, but tated a little bland. The only chages I made was using penne noodles instead. I also just used parmasean cheese, and regular bread crumbs.

Ingredients

• 
  10 ounce casarecce pasta or fusilli (short twisted spaghetti)
• 1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups chopped onion 
• 1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup) 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2 cups 1% low-fat milk 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• Cooking spray 
• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• Preparation
•  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
• 2. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 minutes or until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Let stand for 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Drain pasta mixture well.
• 3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Gradually add milk and wine; cook 8 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Stir in 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and rind. Remove from heat; stir in pepper. Add pasta mixture to onion mixture, and toss gently to coat.
• 4. Spoon the pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle half of panko breadcrumbs over pasta, and top evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Sprinkle the remaining half of panko breadcrumbs over cheese. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

1. 

Category 7: Casseroles!

Take advantage of the cold, freeze-rainy weather and turn on your oven.

Unless you live in North Waterloo.  You can't turn your oven on until they give you back your power.

Fire up the bbq???

Make a casserole.  Take a picture.  Tell us what you did and what your tasters thought.

Have fun!

Caesar Salad

Ingredients

• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 5 anchovy fillets, minced
• 6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cups day-old bread, cubed
• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite sized pieces

Directions

1. Mince 3 cloves of garlic, and combine in a small bowl with mayonnaise, anchovies, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into quarters, and add to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, and then remove garlic from pan. Add bread cubes to the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove bread cubes from oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with dressing, remaining Parmesan cheese, and seasoned bread cubes.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup butter, softened 
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

 

Oreo Vanilla Milkshake

Ingredients

• 2 Scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 Oreo cookies
• 1/4 cup whipped cream

Directions

Blend ice cream, milk, vanilla extract, and Oreo cookies in a blender until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses and top with whipped cream.

Holiday Punch

This punch is seriously amazing! so good :D It is my favourite punch of all time.

Ingredients:

• 2 L bottle of ginger ale
• 1 frozen can of orange juice
• 1 frozen can of pink lemonade
• 1 packet of orange Kool-Aid
• 1 48 oz. can of pineapple juice
• 1 48 oz. can of apple juice
• Sorbet

*note: don't add water to frozen juices or sugar to Kool-Aid.

Instructions:

1. Add all ingredients together except for the Sorbet and stir in a very large bowl (*best to use a punch bowl).
2. Serve cold with Sorbet or add Sorbet with all ingredients.

Changes:

This punch is so good, everyone likes it.
I added some extra orange juice from a carton to give it a little more orange flavour.

Ice Cream Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Strawberries
• 1 banana
• 5 kiwis
• 1 1/2 cup of ice cream
• 1 cup of milk

Directions:

1. Put strawberries, banana, kiwi's ice cream, and milk into blender.
2. Blend till smooth, but not too runny.
3. Drink.

Easter Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup margarine
• 1 cup of brown sugar 
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups of milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease about 24 muffin cups, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Cream together margarine, brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the milk, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown, and tops spring back when lightly tapped.

Bruschetta

This recipe makes about 4-6 servings. One of the best bruschetta recipes I've had.

Ingredients: 

- 1 baguette, sliced 

-  2 teaspoons minced garlic

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

- 2 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, garlic, basil, vinegar, olive oil, cheese, salt and pepper.
2. Mix thoroughly and let sit for at least 15 minutes at room temperature to let the flavors marinate.
3. Slice the bread into individual pieces and spoon the mixture on top.
4. Spread the grated cheese on top of the pieces
5. Put the bread into the oven at 350 for 10 minutes
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Blueberry Muffins

I got this recipe from allrecipes.ca

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cups milk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups or line with baking cups.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, blueberries, grated lemon zest and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine milk, oil and egg; blend well. Add dry ingredients all at once; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.)
3. Fill cups 2/3 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 1 minute before removing from pan. Serve warm.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Spiced Hot Chocolate Recipe

I found the recipe for this hot chocolate here. The recipe makes six servings, so I changed the amounts accordingly to make three servings. It can be a little rich, and you can change the amount of spice if you want to, it will still be a really yummy hot chocolate.

Ingredients: 

-3 cups of skim milk

-1 tablespoon and 1 and a half teaspoons of cocoa powder

-1 tablespoon and 1 and a half teaspoons of white sugar

-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-1/4 teaspoon chili powder

-1/8 teaspoon  ground nutmeg

-1/8 teaspoon  ground cloves

I didn't have any ground nutmeg, so instead I used Allspice, which is used in many spice cakes, and was a good substitute. 

Directions: 

1. Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat until lukewarm
2. Stir the cocoa powder and sugar into the warmed milk until dissolved. 
3. Add the vanilla, cinnamon, chili powder, nutmeg, and cloves. 
4. Heat another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chocolate Parfait

Every holiday, I make this dessert for the family.  This chocolate parfait is always a big hit at our family get-together and with the children.  I first tried this dessert at a potluck and have been using it ever since.

No changes were made to this recipe.

Chocolate Mint Milkshake

Ingredients:

• 2 scoops french vanilla ice cream 
• 1 tbs chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp mint flavoring
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 - 4 tbs whipped topping (optional)

Directions:

1. Combine the ice cream, chocolate syrup, mint flavoring and milk in a  blender and blend until smooth.

2. Transfer mixture to a tall glass and serve with whipped topping and some extra chocolate syrup drizzled over top. Serve immediately. 

There is no website link since I created this recipe myself. It is super quick to make, yet absolutely delicious!

Dairy Free Strawberry Shake

I love making milkshakes/smoothies and experimenting with new fruits. But this time I wanted to try to make a mock version of this strawberry shake I had at a restaurant before I went dairy free. It actually tastes just like it it on the first trial of me making it! It's really good and really easy to make.

Dairy Free Strawberry Shake

14 small frozen strawberries
1 1/2 cups almond milk (depends on how think you want it)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon xylitol (or sugar)

Just throw everything in a blender (I used my magic bullet) until its smooth. Enjoy!

Snowflake Smoothies

I found this recipe in one of my mom cook books.

2 cups  Strawberry ice cream
1/2 cups berry juice
1/2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup of vanilla ice cream
1 banana
1/4 cups milk

1. blend the strawberry ice cream , juice and frozen strawberries.
2. Fill 4 tall glasses 2/3 with the mixture.
3. Clean the blender and  blend the vanilla ice cream, banana and milk.
4. Add to the top of the 4 glasses, and enjoy.

Fruit Slushie

I found my recipe here. I usually have this in the summer, as its cool and refreshing.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups water
- 1 (4 oz.) can orange juice
- 1 (4 oz.) can lemonade
- 6 cans water
- 6 mashed bananas
- 1 large can crushed pineapple
- 2 (10 oz.) packages strawberries

Directions

Dissolve 1 1/2 cups sugar in 2 cups water. Add remaining ingredients. Blend well. Pour into container and freeze, stirring several times while freezing. Set out to thaw to slushy consistency before serving.

Berry Smoothie

This is one of the recipes I use when making smoothies every morning.

Ingredients:

• 6 frozen strawberries
• half banana
• frozen berry mix
• 3/4 C milk/almond milk

Directions:

• Blend the strawberries, banana, and milk together until smooth.  Top with blueberries.  Serves one.

Marble Swirl Pound Cake

I found my dessert recipe here.  This is a mix of both white and chocolate cake, and well served with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, with electric mixer at low speed, beat sugar and butter or margarine until blended. Increase speed to high, and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, milk, baking powder, vanilla, salt, and eggs; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Increase speed to high, and beat batter 4 minutes longer.
2. Remove about 2 1/2 cups batter to a medium bowl. With a wire whisk or fork, beat cocoa into batter in medium bowl until well blended.
3. Grease a 10 inch tube pan. Alternately spoon vanilla and chocolate layers into prepared pan. With a large spoon, cut and twist through batters to obtain marbled effect.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan, and on a wire rack, for 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan, and cool completely.

I made no changes to this recipe except served with ice cream.

Iced Coffee

I found the recipe here. The recipe on this website makes 24 servings, but I made just one serving. I put the amounts I used at the bottom.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Coffee (good, Rich Roast)
• 8 quarts Cold Water
• Half-and-half (healthy Splash Per Serving)
• Sweetened Condensed Milk (2-3 Tablespoons Per Serving)
• Note: Can Use Skim Milk, 2% Milk, Whole Milk, Sugar, Artificial 

Preparation Instructions 

In a large container, mix ground coffee with water. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature eight hours or overnight.

Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and set over a pitcher or other container. Pour coffee/water mixture through the strainer, allowing all liquid to run through. Discard grounds.

Place coffee liquid in the fridge and allow to cool. Use as needed.

To make iced coffee, pack a glass full of ice cubes. Fill glass 2/3 full with coffee liquid. Add healthy splash of half-and-half. Add 2-3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk (can use plain sugar instead) and stir to combine. Taste and adjust half-and-half and/or sweetened condensed milk as needed.

My version:
3 Tbsp ground coffee
2 cups water (cold)
1 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
add desired amount of cream or milk
(I did the same instructions as above)